Phillies falls to Volquez, Pirates 3-2

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher David Buchanan wipes his brow after giving up a two-run home run to Pittsburgh Pirates' Andrew McCutchen during the first inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh on Saturday, July 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Andrew McCutchen (22) celebrates his two-run home run off Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher David Buchanan as he returns to the dugout with teammate Josh Harrison (5) during the first inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh Saturday, July 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH — It is no longer “if” but “how.”

That is how it goes with baseball teams that have crossed into the land of the lost, where losses become the standard event, not the exception.

It is July. The Phillies are a lost cause. The score Saturday was Pirates 3, Phillies 2, but there truly was little reason to think this game might veer away from destiny.

Andrew McCutchen knows enough about winning baseball at this stage to understand how to decimate a reeling team. He went first-pitch swinging against rookie David Buchanan in the first inning and walloped his 13th home run of the season to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead.

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“It caught too much of the zone,” Buchanan said, “and that’s what happened.”

And thus ended the Phillies’ season. Not really, but for a team that only seems capable of scoring when a truly self-destructive reliever (Stolmy Pimentel Friday night) enters, or a bat runs into the occasional pitch for a solo home run (Cody Asche and Marlon Byrd Saturday), the two-run first inning for the opposition is practically a Go Directly To The Loss Column card in baseball Monopoly.

“We haven’t been able to bounce back where were down early in the games,” Ryne Sandberg said of the Phils (37-50), who have won three times since June 20, one of them in 14 innings, another in the final at-bat after blowing a lead in the eighth. “It’s different when we score early, so that’s something we have to try and do — score first. We’ve had better success with that. It’s something that has to get better.”

The Phils had a chance to be the team to score first, since Pirates starter Edinson Volquez was having clear issues to open the game, as he worked slowly and erratically, walking Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley with one out. However, Ryan Howard — who has one RBI in his last 16 games — grounded into a force play for the second out and Byrd skied out to McCutchen in center to end the threat.

When Pittsburgh (46-41) took advantage of its chance in the first — Gregory Polanco set up McCutchen’s homer by dropping a bloop single in front of a non-diving Domonic Brown — you could feel the sagging on the visitor’s side.

“There’s a lot of game to be played down two runs,” Sandberg said. “That’s something we have to grind out, battle through and try to have more opportunities throughout the game. That comes with more contact and more hits on the board, combined with the walks.”

The Pirates got another run in the second when Pedro Alvarez led off with a single and Jordy Mercer followed with a double. Buchanan settled down after that, but it already was too late.

Cody Asche led off the fourth with a solo homer, and in the ninth Byrd finally got enough of an outside fastball by Mark Melancon to put it in the right-field seats. But Asche grounded out on the next pitch, Brown swung through a fat pitch on the inside corner at the knees that most left-handed hitters crave and struck out on an ugly swing, and Cesar Hernandez flailed meagerly at strike three to end it.

Even Byrd, who leads the team with 17 homers and ought to be sought by contenders in trade discussions over the next few weeks, didn’t let himself off the hook despite his ninth-inning bomb.

“I have to do a better job,” he said. “First at-bat, runners in scoring position, I didn’t get it done. I struck out with the bases loaded (in the third), so I have to make sure I’m driving in runs. That’s my job, to produce. Producing in the ninth inning is not going to work. You have to do it earlier in the game.

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NOTES: Cliff Lee (15-day disabled list, strained elbow) will make his first rehab start for Class A Clearwater Sunday against Brevard County. He is expected to throw 65-75 pitches, and there is a good chance that he will join the Phillies in Milwaukee after that and make his next start for them next weekend against the Nationals in Philly before the All-Star break ... Ruben Amaro Jr. said that the huge trade that saw the Cubs send affordable, effective starters Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the Athletics for four prospects, including Top 10 talent Addison Russell, doesn’t change the landscape much for his trade discussions. The Phillies have one starter -- Kyle Kendrick -- who is in a similar position as those right-handers (entering free agency), but isn’t close to the quality of either of them. A.J. Burnett, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels all are much older, have limited-trade clauses and are at a far higher pay scale to compare ... Keep an eye on the Phils and Pirates discussing a swap, however. The Pirates have pitching needs, and Kendrick’s pay scale and modest swap value could appeal to them. Antonio Bastardo and Jonathan Papelbon also could be appealing to Pittsburgh, which has had some late-inning relief escapades.